Machine Feeders and Offbearers Salary
The median pay for a machine feeders and offbearers in St. Louis, MO-IL is $45,430/year ($21.84/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $47,776 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 39.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About machine feeders and offbearers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Machine feeders and offbearers pay in St. Louis tracks closely to the national median, $45K locally vs. $41K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,218/month, which is 39.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for machine feeders and offbearers in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $50K | $57K |
| Kansas City | $77K | $83K |
| Jefferson City | $45K | $51K |
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $44K | $47K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level machine feeders and offbearers (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Machine Feeders and Offbearers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Machine Feeders and Offbearers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | $55K | +34% | 570 |
| Wyoming | $51K | +24% | 30 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +18% | 410 |
| Colorado | $48K | +17% | 650 |
| Kansas | $48K | +16% | 430 |
| Missouri | $47K | +13% | 1,280 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | +13% | 200 |
| Washington | $46K | +11% | 1,040 |
| Oregon | $46K | +11% | 2,390 |
| Nebraska | $45K | +10% | 210 |
| Iowa | $45K | +10% | 560 |
| Arkansas | $45K | +10% | 1,580 |
| Ohio | $45K | +9% | 2,930 |
| New Jersey | $45K | +9% | 850 |
| Delaware | $44K | +7% | 30 |
| Massachusetts | $44K | +6% | 620 |
| New York | $43K | +5% | 770 |
| Louisiana | $43K | +5% | 130 |
| Idaho | $43K | +3% | 170 |
| Michigan | $42K | +3% | 740 |
| Kentucky | $42K | +2% | 980 |
| Maryland | $42K | +1% | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $41K | +0% | 1,390 |
| Nevada | $41K | -2% | 150 |
| Tennessee | $40K | -2% | 450 |
| California | $40K | -2% | 4,830 |
| Arizona | $40K | -2% | 170 |
| Utah | $40K | -3% | 140 |
| West Virginia | $39K | -5% | 180 |
| Georgia | $39K | -5% | 1,550 |
| South Dakota | $39K | -5% | 660 |
| Alabama | $39K | -6% | 2,160 |
| Mississippi | $38K | -7% | 670 |
| South Carolina | $38K | -8% | 680 |
| Indiana | $38K | -8% | 2,800 |
| North Carolina | $37K | -9% | 2,040 |
| Texas | $37K | -9% | 3,100 |
| Connecticut | $37K | -10% | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -11% | 310 |
| Virginia | $36K | -12% | 1,340 |
| Florida | $35K | -15% | 1,110 |
| Rhode Island | $33K | -20% | N/A |
| Maine | $32K | -22% | 210 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track machine feeders and offbearers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a machine feeders and offbearer afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 39.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for machine feeders and offbearers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new machine feeders and offbearers typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,120/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is machine feeders and offbearer a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $45K locally vs. $41K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for machine feeders and offbearers?
St. Louis pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $41K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do machine feeders and offbearers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $45,430 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,340, and experienced machine feeders and offbearers can clear $60,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,098/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 39.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a machine feeders and offbearers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median machine feeders and offbearers salary is worth about $47,776 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do machine feeders and offbearers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.